The West Chicago Garden Club

Has the spring cleanup in the Kruse Garden ever been complete by April 4? 

We set the bar pretty high by getting it done that early this year!  Maybe back in the day when the Kruse family lovingly tended the garden it got that kind of attention but in recent times it has often not been top on the mile high stack of the spring  ‘to do’ list.  Angie and Tom spent several mornings over there snipping and raking and the grand finale featured the Votava’s lawn crew with blowers, lots of energy and strength, and a truck to haul away loads of junk…and there was a lot!  We couldn’t have done it without them!  

The gardens look terrific!  A smattering of blue and yellow (grape hyacinths and daffodils) dot the back garden while eye-popping green creeps to cover the ground everywhere.  It is so fresh, clean and neat!  The numerous shrubs installed last year are swelled with buds and the Dawn Redwood tree donated by Meyer Landscaping is ready to pop out as well! We put in 50 alliums ‘Purple Sensation’ last fall and their distinct strappy foliage is rising high, proclaiming, ‘we’re glad to be here’! No doubt, the awakening of a garden is a salve for the soul.  The wonder is unrivaled!   Continue Reading »

Our Plant Sale, May 16, requires plants to sell and our best resource for plants is member’s (friends, relatives) gardens. Most perennials benefit from being divided and what an opportunity to donate the divisions of a mature plant to a good cause. Customers who buy these plants are blessed to take home ‘hit the ground growing’ plants. What a wonderful way to assist and encourage others to garden! We need your plants! We can come and dig them from your garden or you can dig clumps, bag (don’t forget to identify) them and transport them to Billie or Angie’s house. Another option is for you to pot up your own plants. If you choose to DIY see Dick Darrah for info on labeling and other logistics. A small crew will gather plants from gardens during the week (we will make an appointment convenient to you) and a larger crew will pot them up on weekends. We need skilled willing volunteers at each of the following weekend potting sessions. Here is another opportunity to earn ‘garden bucks’!

Perennial Potting…Crews Needed
Saturday April 11, AM 9-12
Sunday April 19, PM 1-4
Saturday April 25, AM 9-12
Sunday May 3, PM 1-4

Sign up sheets for plant donations and potting crews will be available at the March 26th meeting or contact Billie by email or phone at 630-231-1791.

Spring is here! Happy New Year! Signs of spring are everywhere! The Kruse Garden daffodils are peeking out and the clumps are expanding. It’s always rewarding to see plants return year after year, and when there’s an even bigger plant than last year….whoopee…that’s a good thing! The grape hyacinths, original to the Kruse Garden, are also popping out everywhere! We can tell you from experience that you can’t dig anywhere in that back garden without encountering those precious little bulbs. They don’t mind being shifted around to make room for new plants throughout the year but come spring they step forth with a presence that commands attention. It’s their time for showing off! The tulips in the back garden are also originals!  They are unique souls.  Not well color coordinated but hey they aren’t the ‘run of the mill’ tulips.  There are a few pictures of them on the GC website, photo tab, “Kruse Garden”. The species tulips donated by Jeff Handel will soon grace the west hillside garden. We can here Jeff snickering in disbelief that some survived, since they were planted in heavy clay. Now that the soil has been improved in that area, how about a few more bulbs Jeff?

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